Monthly Archives for April 2020.
Delta Air Lines is losing $60 million a day and not paying over a third of its employees who took leaves. It has parked the majority of its fleet. And i’s preparing to accept billions of dollars in government bail out cash.
Yet last week it appears to have placed an order for 10 Airbus A350s. Airbus announced the order, but refused to confirm the airline involved.
Te Department of Transportation reinforced that when airlines cancel flights they are required to give a customer back their money. They cannot keep money for services that aren’t rendered.
However it’s worth underscoring that refunds for future airline tickets aren’t just due to you in the event the flight you booked is cancelled. Refunds are also required in the event of a significant schedule change as well.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Wyndham Rewards is extending all current elite member status through December 31, 2021. Many of us noted that Marriott was last to extend status, but that’s not true. Don’t forget Wyndham!
American Airlines shared a message from their CEO and their President this week, along with photos of these two executives traveling around the system meeting with employees and encouraging them during difficult times for the airline.
Supposedly the photos are examples of the airline’s leadership ‘social distancing’ but they’re sure curious photo picks for that.
As part of American’s plan to extend elite status through January 31, 2022, the airline shared that they would be offering up to $400 credits with American Airlines Vacations.
This benefit will vary from $300 to $400 depending on level of elite status held on June 30. Here’s how it will work.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
American Airlines is extending current elite status through January 31, 2022. They’re also making elite status easier to earn this year. They’re extending Admirals Club memberships, and they’re making Million Miler status easier to earn through the end of this year, too.
Many members were getting frustrated not hearing anything about American’s plans to extend their elite status. They earned the benefits through flying last year, and won’t have the full opportunity to use those benefits in 2020, and want to know what their travel with American will be like going forward. American has answered those concerns.
In the years following 9/11, as airlines struggled, and again during the financial crisis airlines pre-sold miles to their credit card partners at a discount in order to raise cash quickly. United and Delta each pre-sold miles, the former for about $500 million and the latter twice totaling about $1 billion. American did it too with Citibank. These ‘cheap miles’ paved the way for banks to offer big bonuses to consumers both for acquisition and for ongoing spend.
These conversations have started again as a way to raise cash.
It will take some time before international travel comes back in more than a limited way. Countries won’t open their borders all at once, and may impose quarantines or restrictions on entry with greater health checks initially when they do. More onerous procedures will mean less travel overall and fewer flights.
Europe is talking about limiting entry through September, including an especially from the United States, while Australia may not even let its citizens leave their country this year.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
